Fresh contempt case deepens Sampa chieftaincy fight
The contempt proceedings were initiated by Nana Samgba Gyafla II, known in private life as Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, who maintains that he is the lawfully recognised Paramount Chief of the Sampa Traditional Area.
The long-running dispute over the Sampa Paramount Stool has entered another legal phase, with a High Court in Kumasi being asked to jail a rival claimant for allegedly breaching existing court orders.
The application targets Randolf Obah, who is said to be presenting himself as Nana Yaw Sammordua despite judicial decisions said to have settled who should occupy the stool.
The contempt proceedings were initiated by Nana Samgba Gyafla II, known in private life as Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, who maintains that he is the lawfully recognised Paramount Chief of the Sampa Traditional Area.
In documents filed before the court, he argues that his claim to the stool is grounded in a valid nomination, election and installation process that followed an arbitral determination delivered on 22 June 2023 under the authority of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
He further contends that the courts have since reinforced that position.
According to the affidavit supporting the contempt motion, later proceedings culminated in a mandamus order directing the relevant authorities to register his name in the National Register of Chiefs as the legitimate Paramount Chief of Sampa.
That order, the filing states, was issued in September 2025 and was subsequently carried out, with the official records amended to reflect his status.
It is against that background that the latest application has been brought, with the applicant arguing that any continued claim to the stool by the rival party amounts to disobedience of the court and should attract punitive consequences.
